Glencairn proposed development – GRA presentation

Please find below the slides of the presentation given by the Gallops Residents Association at the meeting on September 27th 2018. The presentation includes an overview of the planning application, a summary of the traffic impact study, the environmental impact assessment report, the GRA committee concerns, and points on how to make an objection to ABT.

When you click the symbol on the bottom right corner of the presentation, it will open up in full size.

Below the presentation you will find observations from T.D. Catherine Martin, as suggested areas for residents to focus on in their own submissions. Please remember the deadline for any observations is October 12th 2018, they have to receive it that day. (The date in the presentation is incorrect, please make sure it’s submitted and received by October 12th – next Friday.)

Please find below Catherine Martin’s observations:

1. Quantity of information and short deadline

Given the quantity of technical information contained in a proposal for a development such as this under the Strategic Housing Development fast track process, it is an almost impossible task for residents and the communities they are part of to parse, analyse and effectively respond to all aspects of the proposed development within a month – particularly given some of the documents are more than 300 pages long, this is very much creating a David vs Goliath kind of relationship.

2. Transport impact assessment and travel plan

The plan suggests that traffic impact will be minimal. However, it seems that much of the report is based on modelling and assumptions (some inaccurate, as is the case with the assumed capacity and routes of bus routes 44 and 47 – which has no reference to the proposed BusConnects framework of routes) rather than hard data on actual traffic volumes in the area, for which it seems only limited surveys were done.

The traffic impact assessment report refers to the existing routes and frequency of the 44 and 47 bus routes and does not take into account the proposed routes under BusConnects; therefore assumptions in the report about the availability of these services are inaccurate. The impact report refers to both routes as providing around 19 buses daily from Murphystown Rd. and Kilgobbin Road, where in fact the proposed new routes 213 will service Kilgobbin but not Murphystown Rd. It is essential that the developer revise the plan to take account of the proposed BusConnects plan, even though it is still in consultation, as it will be introduced in some form.

The actual volumes of traffic coming out of what is described as Junction 5 in the traffic impact document – the signal-controlled junction directly south of Glencairn Luas stop at Glencairn estate/Murphystown Way – was only observed once, on 2 March 2017. The plan estimates the number of cars exiting from ‘donor sites’ but doesn’t include the Gallops and Glencairn, on the basis presumably that these are much bigger than the new estate. Also, this traffic survey wasn’t conducted during school pick-up times, which are another peak time for traffic in the area.